


A Life Worth Saving

by I_glitterz



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), Tommy Ratliff (Musician)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-07
Updated: 2011-06-22
Packaged: 2017-10-20 05:35:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/209318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_glitterz/pseuds/I_glitterz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kris is a Collector - sort of like an angel of death, but he's not an angel - who has seen too much death and hatred in the world of mortals.  Then one day, he meets two young men that seem connected by pain. ~This is completely posted, it's just not showing it on here :( ~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Samuel walked up the hill with him personally, which was odd because usually the Protector didn't need an escort to the location of his assignments. Still, Samuel insisted. Standing beneath the rather depressing, grey clouds that had been overcast all day, they watched the soldiers prepare. They were silent, but Samuel - the older of the two - seemed nervous.

 

"Was falsch ist?" the Protector asked, never knowing anything to be _wrong_ with Samuel.

 

The older one looked at him, frowning and sounding more like he was trying to convince himself more than anything when he said softly, " Werden Sie in Ordnung sein?."

 

"Well, of course, I will be alright. Please, Samuel. Do not be upset. No matter how long I must be here, we will see each other again," he tried to encourage. He regarded Samuel, his dark, sad eyes and lovely, brown complexion, so in contrast to his own paleness. Samuel nodded, and they continued walking together.

 

"Now remember..." Samuel began. "They may look to the protection of their God, but it is your presence they may constantly feel. Much work is ahead of you. War is upon them."

 

"I know."

 

They approached the entrance. Many soldiers were about, paying no attention to the visitors. The gates were open. A silent heaviness settled in as the Protector asked, "Samuel, wie schlimm ist es sich um?" Being the younger of the two, he thought he could at least know the severity of the situation.

 

Samuel didn't look at him at first. He just kept staring at the words above the gate until finally, he said, "You know what you must do. Just....just try to remember your purpose...and that it will not last forever."

 

Feeling his eyes darken in confusion, he wondered why Samuel would not give him a straight answer. "I - I will see you soon then?" he asked hesitantly.

 

Finally, Samuel turned his eyes from the camp and looked at him, nodding slightly, but why did he look...afraid? "Auf Wiedersehen." He turned to go back the way they came.

 

Repeating the farewell, the Protector said, "Until we meet again," and watched for a moment before finally heading toward the gate. Looking at the words above it one last time, he read _Arbeit Macht Frei_ and entered.

 

The first train was just arriving.

 

***

 

Too many days 'that will live in infamy' had passed, and Samuel's heart - so to speak - was heavy once more, but he knew hope and strength would be born from the ashes of this day, and that was encouraging to him. Still, he dearly wished the humans would stop killing each other.

 

He had just set foot on the island and saw the Protector sitting on the grass with his back turned to the city. His lowered head rested heavily on his hand. Great concern...a rather specific concern - filled Samuel as what had gone before was always in the back of his mind...on days like this.

 

"Are you alright?" Samuel asked. He spoke English because they were in America.

 

The younger one turned, realizing Samuel's presence. He looked very pale and tears made his soft, brown eyes look glassy.

 

"Do not weep. The day is done, and your assignment here is over," Samuel offered sympathetically. His words did not seem to offer comfort.

 

He watched the Protector look away in silence, averting his eyes away from the destruction behind them. Samuel noticed the dust which still laid upon him, clinging even to his brown hair as he sat, unmoving. He went to the Protector and stood behind him, hoping it wasn't happening again.

 

Then, he heard the small, shaky whisper, just loud enough to be audible. "There were so many...so many... _thousands_..." Grief lined his voice but weariness seemed to join his sadness.

 

Samuel was sure that more would suffer, but the one he was with didn't need to hear that now. "Don't give up on them," Samuel requested. "There...there have been days like this before...just as terrible, just as pointless. But those who survive will make it through, like always...and so will you."

 

When there was no reaction to this, Samuel knelt down where he could see the other's face. Simple sadness is what he saw when he was expecting total devastation. There may have been hope yet. Still, he could tell that if he didn't do something, that could change. "I'm reassigning you to one of their hospitals. It will be easier."

 

Finally, the Protector spoke, but he didn't look up. "You're demoting me because you think I can't handle mass murder," he stated.

 

"Sometimes, everyone needs a rest. Your work will still be important. Taking them to the afterlife always is. This time you will have more time to comfort them...prepare them. Being able to ease their fears is something I think you would excel at. You may, at times, need to show yourself however...and you'll need a name of course. I took one when I was a Collector, and you can choose what it will be."

 

The Protector put his fingers to his cheek to wipe his tears and saw that they came back darkened with ash. Samuel expected him to shake or break down, but he didn't. Instead, he stared at the evidence of devastation that this day brought for the living. "They'll never learn..." he uttered.

 

Samuel frowned. "Don't say that. Please, don't lose your compassion."

 

Without a word, the Protector stood and moved away from Samuel, who also stood, watching him walk toward the base of the great statue. He picked up a small stone on the ground and began to scrawl its powdery residue onto the base. When he was done, he stood back and stared at it, and Samuel moved to his side to see what he had chosen.

 

"Kris?" Samuel read, looking at the Roman lettering used commonly by the people of this nation and noting its uncommon spelling.

 

"Kris," the Collector repeated. After all this time, he now had a name. And since it had been written, the name was his for all time.

 

"Very well," Samuel said softly. He reached up and placed a hand on the Collector's shoulder, disturbing more dust that lay there.

 

Kris looked at him sadly.

 

But Samuel was more at ease. Though this day had forced a change within the one he stood next to, he could at least be certain that not all was lost.

 

Finally, he turned, and Kris turned with him, having the strength to look once more upon the broken Manhattan skyline.

 

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

Kris stood at the door way of the hospital, leisurely staying put and not wanting to go in. Death was a powerful thing and he was the mass that was in between life and death. He carried out the deed, but comfort was his main goal. Putting souls so stressed to rest. Giving them satisfaction that just because they leave their once human body, they still had a whole new life after.

 

He walked in and went to his first assignment. Daphne was her name. She had cancer that was not curable and she was stressing more and more about leaving her loved ones behind. He opened the door to her room and took in the presence of her almost lifeless body, tubes dangling from her arms and the heart monitor on the right, reading a slow but steady pulse.

 

He moved in and stood next to her, touching her arm and feeling her emotions settle within him. Pain, agony, despair. He demolished them and replaced them with comfort, security, and warmth. He looked down at her and saw her face take the form of peace. Something he was grateful for putting there. A few moments later the heart monitor went flat and her soul hung above her body.

 

“Come. You’re set free. Be still and don’t fret. You’re safe.”

 

The soul encased into his body, bypassing the life and going into the death. Sanctuary is what she’ll find. Peace and calm will fill that saddened soul.

 

***

 

Days passed where Kris roamed the halls, coaxing restless bodies into calm, safe places before he took their souls and set them free into the other realm. His despair didn’t make them suffer. His diligence in making peace and sanctuary a part of the soul when they left this world was rewarding. He still had the emptiness that didn’t seem to fill no matter how caring he was with the despaired souls.

 

Kris was walking through the halls when a feeling of hate came upon him. He followed the feeling of where it was most strong and came upon a room filled with white, nothing else. A cot and a desk. The body lying on the bed was what drew him in. Hate, anger, guilt. He stepped into the threshold and the body immediately rose, feeling a presence in the room.

 

Kris stopped and steadied his gaze on this little being, so full of light but hiding in the dark. The body turned its gaze towards the door, but confusion was all that was written there. He didn’t see him, but he felt Kris’ presence. The body trembled in fear.

 

Kris walked over to the bed, placing a hand on the boy’s head, pushing calm and peace into the form. The block he felt was strong and the forced emotions didn’t take place. Anger was still there.

 

“Be at peace my child.” He whispered, not knowing if the boy could hear him.

 

The body relaxed and fell back onto the bed, curling into itself and holding what anger was left. Kris left then, leaving the tampered soul to heal with his comforting words. He walked along the halls and came to another room.

 

He looked in and saw a big form curled up in the corner of the room. He walked in but felt a block of emotion, strange. He couldn’t read anything that came from the lost soul. All he could do was stand there and watch as emotions played across that freckled face. Pain, hurt, anguish. He wondered what put such emotions in that saddened soul.

 

The body moved and stood up, leaving the room. Kris followed. They ended up at the rec room where dinner and games were played and served. Kris stood back and watched as the dark hair boy went to a darkened corner and sat at a table by himself, closed off to the world. A nurse walked up to the boy and spoke softly.

 

“Adam are you hungry honey?”

 

The boy, Adam, just stared at the wall, making no acknowledgment that he heard the nurse at all. She sighed and places a tray of food down in front of him and walked away. Kris sees this and wonders with amazement what happened to make this Adam so speechless.

 

***

 

Kris goes back to the room where he first laid eyes on the boy with hate in his soul. A nurse was there, giving him his dialing dose of medication.

“Tommy, do you want to go outside today? Feel the sun on your skin?”

 

“Go, go, can’t breathe. Leave! Not worth it, not worth it.” Tommy throws the meds back at the nurse and spits on the floor. The nurse just sighs and walks away murmuring things like ‘poor boy’ and ‘needs love’.

 

Kris watched the encounter and then walked over to the boy Tommy, reaching for his blonde locks, watching them as they slip from his fingers. How could this be better? To watch as souls torture themselves into death? What is wrong with the world? Mankind is devastating. Kris just sighs and wonders why he still cares. All that’s left in the word is hurt and agony. Hate and death. What more does Samuel need to show Kris that he shouldn’t give up?

 

Later on that day, after Kris helped three more souls to the after, he walked into the rec room and saw Tommy and Adam sitting next to each other. Not talking, not looking at each other, just being. He recalled something Samuel once said to him, _‘Life is not about what’s there, it’s about what isn’t there’_. He didn’t understand at the time, but now, looking at them, he does. You don’t need to talk to be there, you need to feel. Just know that someone who is just like you can still be there but not help, not solve the problem.

 

Kris leaves then, going to another room with another soul to take and make whole again. Something still fills the void in the place where happiness should be, but he can’t seem to name it at the moment. Doesn’t want to name it at the moment. He walks and takes and helps, but not himself. Others. If there’s one thing he learned, it’s that life is too short to live in hate and fear.


	3. Chapter 3

Another battered soul, tampered with evidence of Mankind’s destructive behavior. Kris almost broke when a little boy, not even 6 years old, came in, life torn by his father’s drunken abuse. The child, Shea _was_ his name, had bruises from being thrown into walls, furniture, anything to break the little boy just for wetting the bed. Shea’s soul was full of light and happiness, but his heart dwelled on the fact that he didn’t feel loved. His life hung by a thread of hope that his papa would come and protect him again. When the father never came, Kris helped him settle and then took the battered soul from which it came.

Things didn’t seem to lighten up like Kris had hoped in the beginning. Yes, helping souls made him feel somewhat okay, but just knowing that what he was taking the souls from; that was what made him think. Did it ever occur to Samuel that this would be worse? That this would break Kris even further? Feeling hopeless to stop such torture was something no feeling or emotion could portray. How does Mankind live with the fact that they hurt each other in more than one way? Break each other into submission that’s not wanted. Fighting for something not needed to gain. This is what Kris saw when he looked at a soul that was ready for him. This is how he felt when he saw and felt the warmth and light and dark escape those saddened souls when he took them under his wings.

 

***

 

Tommy was looking angrier - to say the least - today and Kris wanted nothing more than to help. To know what caused such light to encase in darkness. Tommy just sat on his bed when he was alone. If a nurse came in, his anger shot up towards the blue sky and never wavered until the nurse was gone. The only thing that seemed to help him was Adam. A soul Kris could not read. A soul he could not feel.

 

Adam was something Kris longed to know about. His only task? To get Adam to speak, at least once. To hear the voice he’s imagined to be in that frail body. He seemed darkened by something greater than anything Kris has ever worked with on any assignment. Maybe he was too great for Kris. Maybe Samuel should help out.

 

Kris thought of different things someone could have done to make Adam so closed. So blocked out from the rest, other than Tommy. Tommy seemed to make the light inside his soul flourish. Adam never spoke, but the expressions on his face when Tommy sat near him, or engaged in some kind of activity like checkers, was of care, of wonder, maybe even disbelief.

 

That’s what Kris felt whenever Tommy was around Adam. Disbelief. He’d been watching Tommy for a few weeks now and Tommy only seemed to open up to Adam. Only seemed to care - only in the slightest - about Adam.

 

Adam seemed the same way. When Tommy moved a black checker to a spot, Adam engaged in the act by moving his red piece, but then retreated back into himself when it was Tommy’s turn again, only to open back up when Tommy won the game. Adam’s soul seemed to feed from Tommy’s happiness. Any kind of happiness that came from Tommy, whether it be from winning a stupid checkers game, to being able to go to the bathroom alone, was something Adam’s soul fed from, engrossed in, wanted so badly to keep. That’s all that Kris could make out of the situation.

 

***

 

“Tommy, do you want to go play with Adam today?” The nurse asked, making it seem like she was encouraging a little boy.

 

“I-I… you h-have to g-go. Adam?” Tommy closed himself off. “Not worth it, not worth it.” Tommy rocked back and forth, wrapping his arms around his legs and repeating ‘not worth it’ over and over again.

 

Adam seemed to have heard him because he was there, ushering the nurse out gently, without saying a word and sitting next to Tommy, wrapping his arms around him and rocking with him.

 

Kris watched this with what he felt to be warmth encasing his heart at the caring and loving gesture of Adam comforting Tommy in his time of need, even though he needed the comfort as well. Something pulled at Kris’ soul. He wanted to touch the beauty of this. Bask in it. Feel the wonderfulness of it. And just like that, Tommy looked up to see a man standing there, just looking at him. He felt self-conscious of being watched with such intent. Such thoughtfulness. Such wonder.

 

“W-what?” Tommy whispered.

 

Adam looked up to see what he was talking about and saw a man standing there. Wings as big and beautiful as the sun, colored a smokey light gray. He was watching. Just watching, not moving, nothing.

 

“Who a-are you?” Tommy asked, wanting to get angry, but couldn’t with the protection of Adam around him.

 

“You can see me?” Kris whispered, his voice sounding like the most beautiful of all music to their ears.

 

Tommy nodded.

 

“Do not be afraid my children. My name is Kris, and I’m here to offer guidance. Do you know what I am?”

 

Tommy whispered. “An angel?”

 

Kris chuckled. “Slightly. I am a Collector. Offering guidance to saddened souls, such as yours.”

 

“Have you come to punish me?” Tommy’s body trembles.

 

“No my child, I’ve come to help you. What has made you so angry and full of guilt?”

 

Tommy’s eyes flash with fury. Adam felt it and hung on tighter, clinging to the light Kris could see in Tommy’s soul.

 

“Your soul is beautiful Tommy. So full of light yet you hide in the dark. Why is that my son?”

 

“Leave. Leave. Not worth it. Not worth it. You can’t have me. No! Go!” Tommy yells, closing off, burrowing into his mind, bringing safety to himself.

 

“Tommy, I won’t hurt you, but if you wish me to leave, then I will go.” With that Kris pulls his soul away from the beautiful colors of Tommy’s, unwrapping his touch from it and leaving Tommy be.

 

***

 

“Samuel!” Kris shouted towards the sky. Enraged, yet saddened.

 

Samuel shows himself, looking at Kris with wonder. “Yes Kris?”

 

“How?”

 

“How what?”

 

“How do I help them? How do I help the souls without taking them? Two souls that are broken but strong and I feel like I should take them, but I don’t want to. How do I fix this? How do I find out what happened to them?”

 

“Look into their souls Kris. Their souls hold everything you’re looking for.” Samuel said softly.

 

“But how?”

 

“You’ll figure it out when the time comes.” With that Samuel is gone, leaving a confused Kris.

 

What does that even mean?


	4. Chapter 4

Samuel’s words keep turning around in Kris’ head. _Look into their souls Kris. Their souls hold everything you’re looking for. You’ll figure it out when the time comes_. Kris feels like the time is now. He wants it to be now, but knows that there’s more to it than just his want. His want has gotten him nowhere in the past. He just needs to focus on helping these souls and figuring Tommy out the best he can before he searches deeper.

When Kris looks into Tommy’s room, he can tell that Tommy senses him because Tommy immediately jumps and looks in his direction.

“Why are you here again?” Tommy whispers, acting like he’ll get caught if he speaks too loud.

 

Kris materializes, showing himself to Tommy. He walks over, close enough to Tommy, but far enough away so Tommy is comfortable with the space between them. He doesn’t speak for a moment because he doesn’t know why he’s there. Well, he does, but Tommy doesn’t need to know that. “I told you, I’m your guidance. I’m your helper and you need help Tommy. No matter how much you want to believe that you don’t; you do.” He tries to reach out and touch Tommy, only to see him pull into himself. He sighs. “Okay, I will leave you be… for now.”

 

***

 

Kris is wandering the halls when his wandering leads him to Adam’s room. When he walks in, Adam is nowhere to be found. He doesn’t panic because he knows that he’s safe. He walks out to go in search of the unreadable soul.

 

He feels the pull of Tommy, so he follows it and comes to a door leading to the outside ‘play’ area. He opens the door and reveals a very bright, open, and sunny day. He walks towards Tommy’s pull and finds him with Adam, sitting on the grass underneath a very large Oak tree. They are just sitting there, staring at the ground.

 

Kris stays as far back as possible so Tommy can’t sense his presence. He watches as Tommy leans into Adam, and watches as Adam ever so slightly leans into him as well. He smiles and thinks about the last time he’s smiled a genuine smile. Centuries.

 

He over hears Tommy speak. “Too bright. I’m bored. Want me to show you how to play ‘I Spy’?”

 

Adam shrugs, “Sure.”

 

Kris’ mind freezes. He just heard Adam speak for the first time. Adam’s voice. It’s brings back memories, memories that Kris has tried to forget. He has heard that voice before, but can’t pinpoint where, or even when. It’s filled with music. So unique and rare, but gracious and beautiful.

Kris walks towards them and as soon as Tommy feels his presence, he stills. Tommy turns his head and looks at Kris with such rage, it would scare a bear away in a heartbeat.

 

“What do you want?” Tommy hisses.

 

“Such rage shall be the breaking of you my son. You must learn that I am not the enemy here. I am here to help you.”

 

“Lies! Leave. I hate you! Leave me alone!” Tommy screams.

 

The nurses come over to see what the commotion was about and see Tommy and Adam sitting there. Tommy’s face outraged and Adam’s confused and, what they suspect to be, scared. They quickly separate them, taking Tommy back to his room to lock him under safe keep, making sure he won’t harm Adam. They take Adam back to his room, thinking he’s scared at Tommy’s outburst.

 

Kris sees all this and confusion trickles into his mind. Adam has nothing to do with Tommy’s rage and yet they separated them, leaving Tommy scared and yelling for Adam, Adam scared and trying to get to Tommy. Adam’s face shows that he wants to comfort Tommy, but the nurses keep pulling him further away from Tommy.

 

Kris is saddened by what he just caused. He has to fix this. He wants to fix this, needs to. He follows Adam to his room. He needs to talk to him, or at least have Adam listen while he talks.

 

***

 

It’s been four days since Adam and Tommy’s separation and Tommy is getting worse. His rage is through the roof and the nurses don’t know what to do. The only thing they can think of is to tranq Tommy, so that’s what they do. They tranquilize him so he’ll calm down an rest.

 

Adam has been keeping to himself. He won’t eat, he won’t sleep and he’s worse than he was before he and Tommy met. He ignores the nurses completely, even when they try to help him to the rec room, he forces them out of his room, shutting the door in their face and placing himself right back on the bed.

 

Kris has tried to make the nurses see that it wasn't Adam that caused Tommy’s outburst. He’s even inflicted different emotions on them, but nothing has worked. He is trying so hard to fix this, to get them together again, but nothing is working.

 

Kris walks into Tommy’s room, seeing him lying on his bed, curled into a ball. He can feel the hate and rage coming off of him. Tommy’s body goes completely still when Kris gets closer.

 

“Your fault, this is your entire fault. How could you?” Tommy whispers tiredly.

 

Kris sits down on the bed with a sigh. “It was not my intention Tommy. You must know that. I have tried many times to get Adam back to you. Nothing is working because you’re not helping; you’re making it worse. Stop being so angry and relax. Show them that you’re better and they will let you see him.”

 

“I need him. I need him, but I’m not worth it,” Tommy whispers wetly.

 

Kris places a hand on his shoulder. “What aren’t you worth Tommy? Why do you think you aren’t worth it?” Kris presses.

 

Tommy whips around and stares at Kris. “You don’t know me. You don’t know what it’s like to be me, to feel what I feel, or to grasp how I’m dealing with the bullshit I’ve done. Fuck you. Just fuck you Kris.” Tommy hisses.

 

Kris is shocked. Tommy has never spoken like this. Not even to Adam. “What happened to you Tommy? What made you so angry with yourself and full of guilt?”

Tommy lowers his head. “You don’t even want to know.”


	5. Chapter 5

Kris is pacing the halls, trying to think about all the different things that could have happened to Tommy to make him so angry and guilty. He can’t think of anything. He wants to know more, wants to know how to help, but he can’t do anything until Tommy opens up to him. He sighs, sitting down and resting his head in his hands. This feels so inhuman. He doesn’t know any other word to describe how he feels.

 

Tommy has been better. He took Kris’ advice and kept cool and collected. That is, until he asked to see Adam and the nurses refused him. He yelled and screamed and fussed with them, trying to get them to understand that it wasn’t Adam that was making him angry. It wasn’t Adam’s fault, if anything, Adam was helping him.

 

Kris has tried helping, but something needs to be done about the secrets of _Tommy_. He needs to talk to Samuel again, but he’s afraid that he’ll get the same answer as last time. He doesn’t even know when the right time will be. Tommy doesn’t want to see him, let alone be around him. How is he supposed to fix a broken soul if that soul doesn’t want to be messed with?

 

Kris finally decides to try something he’s been thinking about but has been too afraid to try. He’s going to touch Tommy’s soul. Samuel said to look into his soul, and the only way to get a good look is to touch it.

 

***

Kris waits until Tommy is sleeping to go into his room. He quietly walks over to Tommy, bending down next to the bed and looks at him. He looks so peaceful. Kris waits for the right moment and then sets his mind on touching Tommy’s soul. He can feel it when he gets closer. Rage and agony fill him, along with painful guilt. When he reaches the soul, he grasps it and everything changes. Flashes creep into his mind like a movie. Memories. Specifically Tommy’s memories.

 

 

 _He’s watching TV and eating Cheetos on the couch. His parents went to bed and hour ago and he’s the only one up. The show is over and he’s bored, so Tommy gets up off the couch and goes into the kitchen. He rummages through the drawers and spots matches next to a booklet of takeout menus. He grabs the matches and heads back to the living room._

 _He looks around and spots a candle, walking over to it, he lights the first match with a quick flick of his wrist and watches as the stick catches flame. The flame entices him, draws him in. He lowers it to the candle, lighting it. The flame flickers a little bit on the wick, but catches, lighting up the candle and filling the room with a soft glow and its Vanilla scent._

 _He goes back into the kitchen and looks for some smokes while he’s at it, finding them in the freezer. He grabs a box and heads back into the living room, sitting down on the couch and lighting one up. As he takes a few drags of the cigarette, he flips through the channels until he comes up on Adult Swim. His favorite show Robot Chicken is coming on in a few minutes._

 _He flicks the ash into the ashtray and lies down horizontally on the couch, propping his feet up on the pillows._

 _During the break of the show, Tommy slips into sleep, forgetting about the cigarette. It drops onto the floor, burning the carpet. It catches flame, spreading out towards the coffee table, burning the wood in its wake. It trails towards the window, catching the drapes on fire. Smoke fills the room and the smoke detector goes off, but Tommy doesn’t hear it. Too much smoke has entered his lungs and he can’t wake up._

 _The fire escapes to the kitchen and soon the laundry room, burning up to the second floor where his parents are sleeping. It catches onto the rug in the bathroom and flames start spitting, lighting furniture and fabric. When it reaches down the hall to his parents’ room, it burns the paint off the closed door, turning it black as kohl. The door falls and the room catches on fire, burning the dressers and the bed spread where his parents are lying fast asleep. They didn’t see it coming and burned to death in the fire._

 _The neighbor sees the flames and smoke and calls 911, frantically telling them that their neighbors’ house is on fire and that there are two parents and a 15 year old boy trapped inside. The ambulance and fire trucks come._

 _When the firefighters enter the burning building, they spot Tommy on the couch, flames erupting around him. His shirt catches on fire when a firefighter reaches down and scoops him up, taking him out of the house. Smoke inhalation is the only serious injury he has besides a little bit of burns._

 _The firefighters come out of the house with Tommy’s parents’ lifeless and burned bodies, lying them on stretchers with open black bags on them, zipping them up to take them to autopsy so they can figure out if it was the burns or the smoke that caused their deaths._

 _Tommy was in the hospital for a month recovering from grade 4 smoke inhalation and very mild burns on his arms and chest. He finds out when he wakes up that his parents are dead and that the fire started in the living room from a cigarette that was on the floor._

 _Tommy immediately blames himself, knowing it was his fault for the fire starting and he blames himself for falling asleep with the lit cigarette when he should have put it out._

 

***

 

Kris inhales sharply when he pulls away from the soul. He can still feel the heat of the flames on his face and the agony Tommy felt about his parents. Kris has tears streaming down his face from what he just witnessed. He can’t breathe let alone think when Tommy’s soul is still torturing him with that memory. He gets up and quickly runs out of the room.

 

“Samuel!” Kris cries out.

 

Samuel appears within seconds and wraps his arms around Kris while he feels the sobs racking up his body. He soothes him with reassurances and tells him that everything is fine. But it’s not fine. That whole memory brought back the one thing he couldn’t stop thinking about. New York, the ash and smoke on his battered body, the feeling of crashing down and never being able to come back.

 

“I can’t do this anymore Samuel. I just can’t. It hurts too badly to carry on. Please. Help him. I can’t,” Kris sobs out rapidly. There’s just no end to how much he felt from Tommy. It keeps coming like stabs to the soul.


	6. Chapter 6

He stays away. For as long as his soul can bear, he stays away. He can’t seem to get the memories of New York out of his head. How long ago did that happen? A few months? Maybe? Even though he had not yet healed from that experience, he set it to the back of his mind to help these souls and reaching in to touch Tommy’s was the worst mistake he has made in a long time. He should have listened when Tommy told him he didn’t want to know, but his curiosity won out and he did it anyways. Look where that’s gotten him, in this devastated and dark depression.

 

Flashes of someone he thought he blocked from memory come flooding into his mind. Katy.

 

 _9/11_

 _“God, help me somebody!” He hears a women scream. He follows the voice and comes upon a woman trapped underneath a pile of residue and crushed ceilings. He bends down next to her and tries to pull her out from under the ceiling. It’s no use; he’s just ripping her body in half._

 _“What happened?” The Collector asks._

 _“T-the building c-collapsed and everyone t-tried to get out. There was running a-and pushing. I fell and the ceiling f-fell on top of me. Please Sir, help me. I’m so scared.” The woman responds._

 _The Collector looks at her blonde hair and strokes it through his fingers. “Be still my child. Don’t think about it. Tell me a little bit about yourself. Focus your mind somewhere else.”_

 _“My name is K-Katy. I’m 22 years old. I just moved here from Arkansas to forward my career in business. I have a sister and two brothers. I came here about a month ago and have been working in the World Trade Center for about two weeks. I found this really nice guy about two days ago and was supposed to go on a date with him tonight, but that doesn’t seem like it’s going to work out now. What about you?” She asks breathlessly._

 _“I don’t have a name actually. I’m a Collector. I work for someone named Samuel and I do assignments that deal with helping Mankind not try to kill each other. But that just seems like a silly game now. I’ve been here since about 694 B.C and have found that even then, the world was full of mongrels that don’t cherish human life.”_

 _Katy stares at him in amazement. “But, you’re so young. How am I seeing you?”_

 _“Good question, I actually don’t have that answer. But back to you, what’s your favorite color?”_

 _“Yellow, because it’s bright and happy.”_

 _The Collector smiles._

 _“Mine is Sky Blue, because nothing is more beautiful than looking up at the sky and seeing such a radiant blue following you everywhere you go.”_

 _Katy laughs a beautiful laugh that makes the Collector’s insides melt. “You are very kind to stay with me, Sir.”_

 _He smiles warmly at her, “I’m here until you don’t need me anymore,” he grabs her hand in his and strokes his finger over her knuckle._

 

***

 

Kris needs to relax and breathe, just clear his mind. He walks around like a zombie, going every which way and coming to Adam’s room. He looks inside and sees Adam sitting on his bed, staring at the wall in front of him. He walks in; Adam seems to know he’s there because he immediately sits straighter and looks focused now. Kris walks over and sits at the edge of the bed, pondering on what to say. He wants to read the soul, but can’t and that frustrates him a little bit.

 

“Speak,” Adam whispers.

 

Kris is taken back by the word. He doesn’t know what to say, “U-um… how… why…can you see…”

 

Adam looks in his direction, studying a gaze so intense that it makes Kris fidget a little bit. Adam seems to know what he is trying to ask.

 

“Yes.” He speaks quietly, yet firmly.

 

“How?”

 

“The same as you.”

 

“But you… you’re not… and he’s… huh?” Kris is definitely confused now, but he wants to know how Adam can see Tommy like he can. “Why are you unreadable? You intrigue me so much and yet, you frustrate my senses.”

 

Adam looks lost then, not knowing what’s going on and not knowing who Kris is. He’s looking for someone. Kris assumes Tommy. Kris sighs and then heaves himself up because there’s no use in trying to crack something not yet ready to open. He walks out and heads to Tommy’s room. He should be asleep because it’s very late and the night staffs are here.

 

Kris wanders into Tommy’s room quietly and walks closer to the boy, bending over and resting a hand on Tommy’s small shoulder. He moves, waking up, then stills at Kris’ presence.

 

“Silence, I’m here to ask you a few questions and then I’m taking you to see Adam.”

 

Tommy whips around to stare at Kris with disbelief. Kris smiles kindly and sits on the bed when Tommy sits up. “What do you want to know Kris?”

 

“First off, how long have you been here?”

 

“Eight years, why?” Tommy asks curiously.

 

Kris stares wide eyed for a second. “Why were… no not the right one… um… you look very young.”

 

Tommy glares, “How old do you think I am?”

 

“Fifteen?” Kris guesses.

 

Tommy laughs darkly, “Yeah because a fifteen year old is so much better.”

 

Kris rests his hand on Tommy’s shoulder, expecting him to pull back but when he doesn’t, he moves it to his back and rubs. “Why do you think you’re guilty for what happened?”

 

“Because it was my fault and I should have known better. I’m not worth it anymore. Not worth the help, not worth being happy. I deserve what I get, even if I have pain, I deserve it,” Tommy whispers.

 

“I have more questions but I think it’s time to see Adam, huh?” Kris says sweetly, standing and offering his hand to Tommy. Tommy gladly takes it and follows him out of his room.

 

***

 

Kris walks back into Adam’s room and speaks quietly. “You have 5 minutes.” With that Tommy walks in and runs to Adam, being enveloped in a warm embrace he’s missed so much. He clings to Adam with every fiber of his being and Adam visibly relaxes, pulling Tommy into his lap and stroking his hair.

 

Kris watches for a few minutes and then walks out to give them some privacy. It’s the least he could do after being the cause of their separation. He walks outside to speak with Samuel. He has something he needs to ask.

 

When he gets outside, Samuel is waiting for him by the tree Tommy and Adam were taken from. He walks over and sits down next to him, exhaling loudly.

 

“What is my purpose?”

 

Samuel seems taken back by the question, “To help. Mankind is not as treacherous as you make them out to be. There is still beauty in the making.”

 

“I now realize why my assignment has been so hard.” Kris says, looking up at the dark sky, filled with bright stars.

 

“And what is that?”

 

“I was pulling away from all the hurt instead of accepting it. I see now that there is still good in mankind, but now, I want to take that good away from their hatred. The good doesn’t deserve it.”

 

“You do what you feel that this assignment is telling you to do, but be sure it’s for the greater good and not just your mind speaking from things you have seen.” Samuel leaves at that.

 

Kris looks up at the sky, watching as a shooting star rockets across it. He knows what he must do, but he has one more mission to accomplish first.


	7. Chapter 7

_Kris looks up at the sky, watching a shooting star rocket across it. He knows what he must do, but he has one more mission to accomplish first._

 

 

Kris walks into Adam’s room, where Adam is still on his bed holding Tommy, with a set expression on his face. He stands there for a second, contemplating on what to say, when Adam speaks, “What do you want to know Kris?”

 

Kris jumps a little bit because he really needs to figure out how he keeps showing himself when he doesn’t know it. That’s for another day though; he wants to know something and wants to know it now, before he goes completely insane with anticipation. He walks over to the couple on the bed and sits down at the edge.

 

“I want to know why I can’t read you at all Adam. Why did you tell me, when I asked how you could see Tommy, that it was the same as me? How is that possible?” Kris asked.

 

Adam looked down at Tommy with such care in his eyes that it almost broke Kris, wanting to tell Adam never mind, but then Adam looked into Kris’ eyes and this icy blue fire consumed Kris and he was falling, or better yet he was floating, floating into a sea of despair that tore at his soul, leaving it the way he felt when he watched the mass destruction of 9/11.

 

*~*~*~*~*~

 

 _1941_

 _The Collector had just left Samuel at the gates and was now walking into the camp, surrounded by Nazi generals and soldiers. He slipped his way through towards the train that had just arrived with the new prisoners. He waited with the rest of the generals and watched as families were being ripped apart and pulled out of each other’s arms, boys on one side and girls on the other. Children were taken to a different part of the camp, away from the adults._

 _The Collector followed along behind the children and watched as the soldiers told them to strip their clothes, handing them all stripped shirts, hats, and pants, shoes with barely any soles left to cover their feet. The children were then taken to a room where their hair was cut off, their arms were marked with numbers, indicating them as a number and not a name anymore. They had no more freedom; they had no more choices or options. Doctors examined the children and those who passed were taken out of the room and to a building where they would stay at. The ones who didn’t pass the test were taken to another room where they were to wait for further instruction._

 _When the Collector followed those who had not passed the test, he came across a room filled with men, women and children, huddled in different parts of the room, naked, asking questions about what was going on. The Collector sat back and watched as the Nazi closed the door, locked it up, and went to a different part of the building. When a general got to his location, he pulled a lever and the room, filled with those who hadn’t passed the test, slowly filling up with a smoky gas. The women and children started screaming, the men yelling. Soon, they were dropping off one by one, falling to the floor, gasping for air that wasn’t polluted by the gas currently killing them._

 _A few minutes later, the doors were opened and the remaining gas was aired out, leaving twenty or thirty lifeless bodies in heaped on the floor. The Collector saw this and tears formed in his eyes as he walked away, the prisoners gathering the lifeless bodies to throw away, burn, or bury._

 _The Collector let the tears fall for a few minutes until he gathered up the courage to walk to the building the others were kept in. When he got there, he saw a room filled with posts and boards that created bunk beds, three and four beds high. No mattress, no pillows or blankets, just boards. He saw a few very slim bodies bundled up on these ‘beds’ and watched as the few children huddled around the men, looking for comfort._

 _The Collector noticed a small boy in the corner, knees brought up to his chest with his arms wrapped around them and his head down. He walked over and sat next to him._

 _“What is your name?” the Collector asked._

 _The dark haired boy looked up at him with fear in his big green eyes, “Malachi. What is yours?”_

 _The Collector looked at the boy’s face, remorse rose in his chest as he placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder, “Whatever you would like it to be, son,” he said, thinking the boy would at least need something to call him by._

 _The boy’s smile was small, but he could see it, “You look like an Adam to me.”_

 _The Collector smiled sadly, “Then that is what you shall call me, Malachi.”_

 _Adam watched out for Malachi. He was very protective and very possessive of the boy. He didn’t want him going anywhere Adam didn’t go and when a guard tried to get Malachi away from Adam, Adam hid the boy for days. Malachi looked at Adam as his protector from evil, from the guards who were trying to take him away from Adam. They spent most of their time working in the fields, digging. When the food came around, what little there was, Adam always gave half of his to Malachi, telling him that he needed to be strong for the days to come._

 _Adam knew that he’d taken a very strong liking to the boy. He loved him and wanted him safe for as long as he could have it that way._

 _*~*~*~*~*~*_

 _1942_

 _Malachi had just turned 9 years old and Adam was celebrating his birthday with food he’d saved for him over the past three days. Malachi hadn’t expected anything and was so grateful at the gesture that he shared it with Adam as well. Adam had tried to get Malachi to tell him about his mother, but all he said was that she was taken to a room and never returned. He was holding onto a thread of hope that the room was just a place she was working, but Adam knew differently. It was a room, the Gas Chamber they called it, where she lost her life to ‘the death gas’._

 _Malachi made very few friends because every time he met someone, they never returned to play with him again. Adam didn’t want to destroy the boy’s hope of them being sent back to their original home, so he played along with that idea and wished them farewell when Malachi did._

 _Adam was working in the ditch they had been creating for the rising count of dead bodies, when he heard a commotion on the far side of the camp. He quickly put down his shovel and ran to the destination only to see four Nazi gun down a helpless old man asking for mercy on his poor and abused body._

 _Adam was one of the ones who carried his body to the rapidly filling ditch._

 _*~*~*~*~*~_

 _1943_

 _Commotion was roaring around in the camp about a war breaking out. Everyone was terrified at what that meant, but Adam knew already. He was planning on trying to get as many Jews out as he possibly could. He had gathered about twenty Jews, including himself and Malachi. They had made a pact of listening to Adam when he gave an order._

 _Everything started to fall apart when the Nazi told them to all start making bigger ditches and wider holes. Bodies were being counted off by the hundreds daily. Adam had never seen so many bodies in the three years that he's been here._

 _He wanted to leave so badly, but the one thing that was making him stay behind was Malachi. He would do anything for that boy, now 10 years old. Adam had gotten so skinny and weak, the food he was supposed to have been eating, he’d given to Malachi to keep him strong. He was tired all the time, tired of digging, tired of the abuse, and tired of trying to keep everything from falling apart on his head._

 _He met a young man named Eli, who had been at the camp for all of a year and a half before he was killed in the Gas Chambers along with Adam’s other friend Noah. Noah was so strong and brave. Adam loved him like a brother and was very sad to see such a wonderful man destroyed by the Nazi._

 _Malachi came running towards Adam with fear in his beautiful green eyes, “Adam, they are trying to take me. I’ve done nothing wrong and they want to take me to The Room,” he was out of breath from running across the camp to tell Adam this. Adam looked at him with anger and hurt in his blue eyes._

 _“Go, hide in our rooms and don’t come out until I tell you to.”_

 _They never found him, of course._

 _*~*~*~*~*~_

 _1944_

 _Adam and the rest had just finished up with their daily digging, when twenty Nazi came over, telling everyone in the group to follow them, that they were going to be released for good behavior. Adam knew it was a scam, so he snuck away from the group and ran back to his building to find Malachi. When he got there, Malachi was asleep in his and Adam’s bunk. Adam walked over and climbed into the bunk, draping himself over Malachi and shielding him with his protection._

 _When they woke up, there were maybe ten, to their thirty from yesterday, there with them. Adam knew where the rest had gone, but didn’t speak of it to Malachi. The boy knew too much already and something else might hurt him even more. Adam didn’t want that, not at all._

 _They had all gone outside towards the middle of the camp, when out of nowhere, huge trucks and tanks were filing into the camp with symbols no one recognized. There was a flag for sure with stars and stripes on it. These big trucks were ushering them all into a pile together. Adam lost track of Malachi, looking through the crowd to find him and not seeing him, not even feeling him at all, which scared Adam so much._

 _“Malachi,” Adam yelled, searching through the crowd of people, “Malachi!” his voice broke off towards the end of the name when he could not see or feel Malachi. He suspected the worst, Malachi being beaten or killed and Adam not being able to find him or stop it._

 _Adam kept searching, people pushing and shoving him, yet he kept searching, only to come up missing. This darkness that Adam had never known or felt filled his soul, hiding him. He searched more, tears running like a river down his face. He found no one but the soldiers from somewhere else, dragging him out of the camp to somewhere he didn’t want to be, at least not without Malachi by his side._


	8. Chapter 8

_1998_

 _Adam is walking around New York. 54 years is how long it’s been since he last saw Malachi. Samuel came to him after the Americans invaded the camp and he told him to never speak to him again. He never wanted to remember the look on Samuel’s face when he told him he wanted nothing else to do with him._

 _Samuel understood though, he truly did. He left the Protector alone, but watched over him._

 _Adam sits down at a bench in the park and puts his head in his hands. The last time he spoke was when he told Samuel to leave. There’s nothing to speak for, nothing worth speaking for. He lost Malachi. There aren’t even words to describe how he feels. Losing Malachi was the worst thing that could have happened. He’s lived with this pain for 54 years now. He doesn’t even remember happiness, can’t remember happiness. It was taken from him. He still remembers that day and the many before it._

 _He remembers Malachi’s smile, his touch, but for some reason, he can’t remember the sound of his voice. He wishes on everything that he could, but he can’t._

 _*~*~*~*~_

 _Neil is walking with his great grandfather in the park, when his great grandfather stops all of a sudden._

 _“What is it grandpa Malachi?” Neil asks._

 _Malachi looks at the man on the bench and memories from a long time ago come flooding back into his mind. The camp, the death, the man that helped him through it, 54 years of feeling lonely and unsafe, not knowing if his protector got out okay. Malachi walks up to the lonely stranger and speaks._

 _“Adam?”_

 _Adam turns his head and looks in the direction of the voice that spoke a name he was given by a young boy. He sees an old man, maybe 60, standing there with disbelief on his face, his green eyes burning into his. Adam’s eyes widen and he breathes out, “Malachi?”_

 _Malachi smiles and sits down next to Adam, basking in the wonderful warmth that fills his heart at the sight of Adam still alive, “How did you get out?”_

 _Adam looks ashamed. “I’ve searched for you every day since that dreadful day Malachi. I’ve searched and never found you. What happened? How did you get out?”_

 _Malachi shakes his head and chuckles, “I honestly don’t remember. Someone grabbed me and we fled. I’ve searched for you as well, hoping one day I would see my protector.” He smiles warmly at Adam._

 _Adam reaches over and gently tugs Malachi into his embrace, thanking everything that is good that he’s real, alive and well._

 _Neil watches this with confusion on his face. His great grandpa talks to a stranger and then they hug. He walks over to see what’s going on. “Grandpa Malachi, who is this?”_

 _Malachi looks up at his grandson with tears of joy in his eyes. “Remember that story I used to tell you when you and Ron were just little boys, about the raven haired man coming to the rescue of a small boy who‘d been afraid?”_

 _Neil nods. He remembers, he also remembers thinking it was bologna._

 _“That was a true story about me and this young man right here.”_

 _Neil looks confused, so Malachi enlightens him, “Adam was the man that protected me during World War II.”_

 _Surprise and disbelief show on the young man’s face. His grandpa is a good 40 years older than this man, but he claims that he was protected by him when he was younger. Neil clears his throat, “Nice to meet you, Sir?”_

 _“Adam, he calls me Adam, so that it my name,” Adam whispers, still looking at Malachi with disbelief, but so much love. Love he didn’t think he could have back._

 _“Let’s go Adam, you can stay with us for a while,” Malachi says._

 _*~*~*~*~_

 _2000 January-June_

 _Malachi fell ill. The only thing Adam could do was be strong for him, be beside him. Adam was starting to go silent again. Neil took Adam to a hospital and admitted him for being crazy without his great grandfather’s consent and that’s where Adam stayed. He didn’t talk to anyone, not even Neil. He shut everyone out but Malachi because Malachi knew his story. It was his story as well._

 _Adam sat in the white room with nothing but a desk and cot. He spoke to no one and everyone spoke to him. They said he was delusional and that he appeared to be about 23 years old. Neil named him Adam Lambert, after his grandfather and himself. What was he supposed to do? Admit someone who didn’t have a name?_

 _Neil and Malachi came to visit every day. Malachi got worse, but still came to visit his protector from evil. Neil couldn’t understand the relationship with him and Adam, he could even put that type of unsolvable puzzle together because they were the only ones who believed their story. Neil thought that maybe Adam’s great grandfather was his grandpa Malachi’s protector, but he couldn’t prove it. He had no proof, so he let their fantasy play for as long as possible._

 _Adam spoke very little to Malachi, but he was the only one he’d speak to. The nurses tried, believe it that they had tried. Adam could feel it when Malachi got weaker. He could feel it when Malachi got sicker, but he couldn’t tell Malachi to stay home and rest; he just couldn’t. He had just gotten Malachi back into his life and some force of nature was trying to take that away again. He wanted to see him for as long as possible._

 _One day Neil came alone, and that’s when Adam knew that Malachi was no more. That Malachi had gone to the After. Neil tried to explain it to him, everything to him. “He’s had cancer for years now, but it was incurable. They couldn’t do anything else. He passed on in his sleep last night. I’m sorry.”_

 _Adam said nothing, did nothing but look at the wall of white, of blankness, something he felt to the core. What made the darkness rise and wash over his entire being was what Neil said next._

 _“I won’t be coming to visit you anymore. I’m sorry, but being around you would hurt that much more. I love you, Adam. I really do, but I have to let go and move on, just like you do.”_

 _*~*~*~*~_

 _2001 October_

 _Adam was sitting in the rec room, alone. It had been four months since Malachi had visited him, but nothing came close to the warmth he missed from him. He couldn't bear to think about it some days. It hurt too much to know that he was gone and he didn’t want to let go. He couldn’t, Malachi was his. That’s how he saw it. His little boy to protect from harm and he couldn’t even protect him when he needed it the most, when he was fighting for his life a second time._

 _Adam got a sense that Malachi was around, he looked up but he wasn’t there. The sense got stronger and stronger as time let on. He felt emotions, but they weren’t happy. Guilt, anger, sadness. What he felt, but so much stronger. Adam felt guilt for not being there, anger for letting everything happen, and sadness because Malachi was no longer here to protect._

 _The feelings got stronger and Adam almost broke. He looked up when he almost couldn’t bear it any longer and saw a boy, about 23, walking into a secluded part of the rec room. The boy looked up into his eyes and they connected, staring at nothing and everything. Adam wanted so badly to turn away, not look any longer for fear of those feeling getting trapped into his soul like they were that soul, but he kept his gaze. A few moments later, he no longer felt those feelings. He felt satisfactory, warmth, enlightenment, peace, and safety._

 _The boy stood up and walked over to the table Adam was at and sat down, his long, blonde fringe falling into his brown eyes as he looked down at his folded hands on the table. They spoke nothing, they saw nothing, they just were. Adam felt whole again, but in a different way, a way he’d never felt before, but he like it, he fed off of it._ Everything is going to be okay, _it told him, and he believed it._


	9. Chapter 9

Kris resurfaced from what felt like floating, with tears of happiness streaming down his face. He looked at the protective hold Adam had on Tommy and the tears came harder, flowing down. He felt so happy, like he was rejuvenated and he felt accomplished in some way. He couldn’t describe what he felt when he saw how Adam felt for Tommy. It was more than Malachi. It was more than Tommy. It was just more, more of something. Tears still flowing, he asked a question he already knew the answer to, but still wanted to know, wanted to hear, wanted to feel.

“You love him, don’t you?” Kris whispered wetly through the knot in his throat. He couldn’t even imagine the feeling Adam had for Tommy. He could feel it and it was beautiful, just so beautiful. Feeling this is what he’s always wanted ever since he had become a Protector, and now a Collector.

 

“I do,” Adam whispered, stroking Tommy’s hair from his sleeping face. He looked down with such adoration, it broke something inside of Kris. The emptiness inside his soul that he felt all those months ago, when he first came to this place, was filled. It was full of life and emotion, feeling and sanctuary. He couldn’t describe how much he wanted to set this beauty free. He felt like he finally found something worth living for in Mankind, but he also felt sadness. He wanted to take this beauty from Mankind, set it free, and make it even more beautiful. He wanted permission from both fulfilled souls.

 

“How is this possible? Beauty, love, what you feel for him? How?” Kris wondered out loud.

 

Adam chuckled, “It just is. Malachi was like my child, and Tommy is like the second half of my soul. I don’t know how I would have survived without him being here, without me protecting him. I feel what you are feeling right now, Kris. You have my consent, but you need Tommy’s too,” he whispered softly, kissing Tommy’s hair. Tommy snuggled deeper into Adam’s side, content to stay there for all eternity, to just bask in Adam’s warmth.

 

“Talk to him. I will be back.” With that, Kris left. He needed to talk to Samuel, thank him for making him finally see the beauty in Mankind again, for saving him. He went to the Oak tree and sat down to wait for him.

 

Samuel appeared with a soft smile gracing his lips, he sat down next to Kris and waited for the conversation they were about to have. He didn’t have to wait long though.

 

“Thank you,” Kris said happily.

 

“For what?”

 

“For showing me that there’s more to Mankind than destruction, that there’s still hope and beauty. You have saved me from so much, but now I must save them. Why have you never told me of Adam?”

 

“It was not my place to tell. I figured when he was ready to tell you, he would. You’d see that just because you’ve been through so much, you could still come back from it. Now, what is it that you want to do, my child?” Samuel asked.

 

“I’m going to give this beauty something better than what this world can. I’m going to take them to a better place where their beauty can outshine the rest, like it does here, but more.” Kris stood and went back to Adam and Tommy.

 

They were sitting down on the bed, Adam had his hand in Tommy’s, comforting him, protecting him. Kris smiled, “Are you ready?”

They both stood and nodded their consent. It was time.

 

Kris moved towards them and encased them in his wings, wrapping up all the beauty, all the love and happiness and closing it together, making it one. He pulled from their world and to another place, leaving their bodies, but taking their souls. When they reached where Kris wanted them, he stepped back and watched as the souls reformed into one, a whole. The light that shone from them was magnificent. Kris smiled and turned to walk away. He would go back to the world in which he came, take more and feel this wholeness for all eternity.

 

Being a part of something greater is wonderful, but knowing how much beauty and heart throbbing love there is in that world, will make it all the better for him to help, to Protect, or to Collect.

 

*~*~*~*

 

Kris had just finished his last assignment as a Collector and he was now sitting with Samuel at the park bench he’d seen when Adam took him here. He felt Adam’s presence and Tommy’s, together, as one. He smiled.

 

“I’m promoting you, Kris,” Samuel said after a minute of silence. Kris was dumbfounded at this information.

 

“To what?” he said softly.

 

“To Watcher, like me, but you will be taking my position and helping those just like you, Protectors and Collectors who can’t find their way. You will do what I have done for you. Make the best of it, my son,” Samuel said.

 

“I will, thank you, Samuel,” Kris stood up to accept the position. Samuel stood and placed a hand on Kris’ shoulder. Kris’ wings faded and his body was encased in a white suit, much the same as Samuel’s. After the position was taken from Samuel, Kris watched as he faded, going to the After. His assignment was done, finding someone to take his position. Kris would now have the assignment to find someone to do the same, and he was looking forward to it.

 

While walking along the streets in New York, Kris passed by the place the Twin Towers had been. He stopped and looked at it. Sadness still filled him, but he could handle that; he could always handle that.

 

He reached the island he was at when he was given the new assignment as a Collector and stood next to the statue he marked his name into, looking over the now beautiful Manhattan skyline.


End file.
